go to hongkong

On first acquaintance Hong Kong can overwhelm. Navigate its teeming, tightly packed sidewalks and you’re met at every turn with neon signage, steam-filled canteens, molasses-slow traffic and a Babel of chatter.

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Once this first sensory wave has rolled over you, though, take a deep breath and start swimming with the current, because you’ll find Hong Kong is a place to delight in. Utterly safe and fantastically well organised, it offers little moments of perfection. You may find them on a plastic stool enjoying a bargain bowl of beef brisket soup or simply gazing at the thrilling harbour vistas. You’ll find them taking afternoon tea in the cool of a five-star hotel lobby or enjoying balmy open-air beers in the party zones.

Hong Kong can nudge you out of your comfort zone but usually rewards you for it, so try the stinky beancurd, sample the shredded jellyfish, brave the hordes at the city centre horseracing and join in the dawn tai chi. Escape the city limits and other experiences await – watching the sun rise from a remote mountain peak, hiking surf-beaten beaches or exploring deserted islands.
True to its name, this place is perched on the side of a steep hill rearing up behind Kimberley Rd. Just around the corner from a buzzing little area of bars and restaurants, it's far enough away from the hubbub to retain a calm sheltered atmosphere.

Lying at the southeastern tip of China, Hong Kong adjoins the province of Guangdong (Canton), and is just south of the tropic of Cancer. The total land area of Hong Kong is 1,078 square kilometers, comprising Hong Kong Island (77.5 square kilometers); Kowloon (45.5 square kilometer); and the New Territories, including 235 outlying islands (955 square kilometers).
Today Hong Kong has become a great international trading post, a powerful manufacturing base and one of the world's largest financial centres.

Taxis are numerous and readily available, and fares are low compared with those in most cities. Red taxis serve Hong Kong Island and Kowloon; green ones in the New Territories and blue taxis on Lantau Island operate at even lower rates. Many drivers speak some English but it is wise to have your destination written in Chinese characters.

Rates for red taxis start at HK$16.5 on the flag fall plus HK$1.60 for every 200 metres after the first two kilometres. Waiting time is HK$1.10 per minute. Pay, in Hong Kong dollars only, the fare shown on the meter, plus any additional charge where applicable. A HK$20 surcharge applies to cross-harbour tunnel trips (includes the driver's HK$10 return toll). There is also a surcharge for rides through the Lion Rock (HK$6), Junk Bay (HK$3) and Aberdeen (HK$5) tunnels, and a HK$5 charge for each piece of luggage.

Taxi drivers expect a tip, but just round up the fare to the nearest dollar. Drivers cannot pick up or drop off passengers on restricted streets, which are marked with yellow lines. New Territories taxis will pick up and drop off only in the New Territories. If you have any queries or complaints, note the taxi's number and call the 24-hour Police Hotline on 2527 7177.



To give yourself a break from looking at concrete and glass, try to get a room facing out from the back of the hotel over the park-like compound housing Hong Kong's observatory. The Stanford isn't as crammed with mod-cons as some of its Kowloon competitors, but there's a pleasant, slightly yesteryear feel to its hallways and rooms, evoked by dark wood fixtures and royal blue carpet. 'Standard' rooms are a decent size and it's debatable whether you need to pay extra for the slightly larger 'Superior' rooms. Excellent promotional packages sometimes see room rates nearly halved

If it’s pampering you’re after, money can buy the ultimate luxuries in a city well used to serving its tiny, moneyed elite. Yet Hong Kong is also a city of simple pleasures. Most often it’s the least pricey experiences – a $2 tram or ferry ride, a whiff of incense curling from temple rafters, savouring fishing-village sundowners and seafood – that are the stuff of priceless memories.
The Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) is 34 kilometres long and runs from Hung Hom in Kowloon up to the border with China. Trains run every tour to 10 minutes in each direction, and vary according to the ordinary single trip to Sheung Shui, the farthest you can go without a China visa). It's a go way to visit some of the New Territories' towns and villages.

The Mass Transit Railway (MTR), Hong Kong's fast, efficient and air-conditioned underground system, runs not only along the north side of Hong Kong Island, but also from Central across the harbour to divide into east and west branches in Kowloon. Stations are located by a X symbol. Fares range from HK$4 to HK$11. MTR and KCR stored-value tickets (HK$70-200) are also available.

The Light Rail Transit (LRT) is a high-speed surface system linking the New Territories towns of Tuen Mun Yuen Long. The LRT runs from 5.30am to 12.30am daily. Fares range from HK$3.20 to $4.70.

Ferries
The Star Ferry, which has connected Hong Kong and Kowloon since 1898, runs regularly between 6.30am to 11.30pm. At HK$ 2.20 (upper deck), it must be one of the cheapest and most scenic ferry rides in the world. The crossing takes approximately eight minutes.

The Hong Kong Ferry (Holdings) Company provides other regular and inexpensive services which connect Hong Kong Island to other parts of the Kowloon Peninsula and to the outlying islands.